Weight loss support with a spiritual element. I will keep you posted on my journey in the hopes that you will join me in becoming the person God wants you to be. Don't worry about being religious. Come as you are.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Government Mandated Calorie Counts

The nanny state doesn't work and will not work. Government mandates cannot do for us what we should do for ourselves if we are able-bodied without creating a nation of fools. Eating behavior will not change with more government oversight of things that people should do personally. People must be accountable for what they do but it's hard to watch when loved ones get sick of their own doing. How many of us are on blood pressure medicine and have been told it may not be necessary if we lost weight? I had a diabetic uncle who would eat sweets and just take more insulin. My brother was taking the insulin pill and was told if he lost some weight, it may not be necessary to take the pill. He did it and doesn't have to take the pill anymore. I had an aunt with severe breathing problems who was on oxygen. She had always been a heavy smoker and would take off all her oxygen and smoke. This is such a hard topic because we all want to alleviate suffering. Who makes the decision if the patient cannot? When do we let nature take its course? I know there are living wills. Laws are changing. Health care will change. The system has to be overhauled. Insurance rates at some companies are based on a person's general health which would include the BMI. One of my neighbors was out walking and she told me that her employer was going to base the contributions to health insurance based on their BMI. It's coming folks.

However, do we want the government deciding if someone is worth the expense of a pacemaker, for example? If a person is 80 years old, do you think the government could determine that the person was too old and the expense wasn't justified? Someone who is 80 years old could be deemed as not contributing to society anymore even though that person had spent his/her life productively up to being elderly. These are tough questions. I think about them a lot.

I have heard the comment that we are more humane to our animals than we are to the sick and feeble. On a practical level, it's something to think about. If we believe in spirit and being made in the image of God how can we justify euthanasia? Man cannot be trusted with these kinds of decisions I think. I know some will seem to needlessly suffer but as a culture do we want to start eliminating those who cannot be productive? Who decides who is productive and contributing? I think about this a lot too. I think of my Mom who is 84 and the elderly ones in my family who meant so much to me as I grew up.

We all want things handed to us and will take it if it's available. Without some wisdom we can become dependent on institutions, the government, and other people. Somebody is paying for all these government programs and mandates. It's the taxpayers. We don't need more taxes as our government would have us believe; we need more taxpayers. All the entitlements are going to have to be overhauled. There are many, many people who pay no income taxes at all. Enough of that.

We have to be responsible for ourselves. This includes our eating behavior. I hope you watched that video from a couple of days ago. It is amazing. You will learn so much. Parents are dropping the ball. I include myself. I could have been more vigilant than I was. I have a friend who put Coca-Cola in her baby's bottle. Kool Aid and Fruit Juices are like drinking sugar. Did you know that some children become anemic because they are given these things in their bottles and then this destroys their appetite so they don't eat well? What happened to drinking water?

Here's another article about calorie labeling. How about you? Do you feel like this is a tactic for a less obese America or is it more government intervention where they don't belong? Don't get me started on the light bulb thing. :-)
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